


Escape This Heat With You

by Anonymous



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Video Blogging & YouTube RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dan and Phil are in their early twenties, Established Relationship, M/M, Skinny Dipping, Stargazing, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:35:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25499956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Phil tries to convince Dan to skinny-dip on the hottest day of the summer.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20
Collections: Anonymous, Anonymous Unicorns





	Escape This Heat With You

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been sitting in my drafts for over four years. After I finished the fic, I tried to post it to tumblr, but every time the post wouldn't load, so this never saw the light of day. Today was very hot and humid, so it felt right to finally post it.

It had been a long day of trying (and failing) to escape the unbearable heat and humidity of the July afternoon. Phil was stretched out on the sofa to find relief from the heat from the artificial breeze created by the air conditioning unit. Dan was tucked into his sofa crease browsing the internet. Not even their quiet afternoon of anime had offered respite from the insufferable heat. 

Suddenly the air conditioning unit made an awful noise as it struggled to filter the boiling air. _Shruck shruck shruck-ck ck-clunk_. 

And then silence. 

That was a problem.

“Oh no! Now we surely will die,” Phil joked melodramatically, throwing his arm over his face and groaning at the loss of cooler air.

Dan got up and adjusted the dials. He swore, as if showing his fury through a string of colorful words might scare the overworked air conditioner back to life.

Phil turned to Dan’s sudden outburst, “It’s alright. And maybe it will cool off fast tonight.”

“Always the optimist, Philip,” Dan replied, dripping with sarcasm. Dan returned to his spot on the couch.

“Do you know what the crazy weatherman on Channel 4 said this morning?” Phil looked toward Dan. When Dan didn’t respond, Phil continued, “He said that this heat wave over the next six days would be enough to knock out a camel.” 

“Well, that’s because camels don’t have gills,” Dan retorted. “This humidity is almost like living underwater.” They both laughed. “Hey, that’s an idea, maybe we could go swimming. A pool would be nice and cool.”

“ _Daaan_ , You know the community pool has half the town in it right now there would be no room for you and me. Anyway, it’s dinnertime and I’m hungry.”

* * *

After dinner, Dan grabbed their plates and headed into the kitchen. The sink was filling with sudsy water and he grabbed the sponge to begin washing the dishes. As he reached for the first plate, Phil tiptoed behind Dan, snaking his arms around his waist into a familiar hug.

“ _Phil_ ,” Dan whined. “It’s too hot.” Phil’s embrace only got tighter as Dan tried to squirm away from his sweaty arms.

Phil quickly reached forward into the sink and splashed a handful of water onto Dan. 

“Ahhh! Phil!” Dan turned and threw the soaking sponge. It landed with a wet squelch on the floor just short of where Phil stood.

“You missed me!” Phil taunted as Dan tossed a glass full of water in his direction. The water drenched the front of Phil’s shirt and down his pants, leaving a puddle on the floor. 

“You’re gonna get it now!” Phil grabbed a towel off the counter, twisted it tightly before whipping it toward Dan’s bum. That only sparked further revenge from Dan. With all the splashed water and whipped towels, washing the dishes quickly descended into an all-out soapy battle between the two boys. Dan brought his left hand covered in a mound of suds up, poised to splash Phil with the handful of dishwater.

“Wait!” Phil shouted, raising his hands in surrender. “I have an idea! I know a place where we could go swimming. Let’s go,” Phil’s knowing smirk returned, eyes crinkling at the corners.

Phil headed into the hall, followed by a questioning Dan. He grabbed two beach towels from the closet and headed out to the car. Dan followed but stopped at the front door.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked as Phil opened the car door to get in.

“What? Oh, suits, right. We aren’t going to need those tonight.” His mischievous tone reflected with the way his eyes widened in anticipation of Dan’s expected retaliation.

“No, I am not going!” Dan said, a little too loudly.

“Oh, come on. It will be fun.”

“No. I won’t go skinny-dipping.” Dan turned to head back inside.

“Come on.”

“No Phil.” Dan took off running up the stairs two at-a-time.

Phil chased Dan through the lounge and down the hall, a little game of cat-and-mouse. Dan was finally cornered in his bedroom and Phil lunged toward him. They toppled onto the black-and-white duvet and Phil trapped him in his arms. Dan wiggled and flailed his legs in an effort to escape but then Phil began tickling until they were both laughing hysterically. Gasping for breath, Phil relented and they sat up.

“Please?” Phil unleashed his best persuasive pout.

“Fine,” Dan huffed, still breathless from laughing. “I’ll come with. But I’m not getting in naked.”

Phil grabbed his hand and pulled him through their flat to the car. Feigning chivalry Phil opened the passenger door for Dan. Then he skipped around to the driver side and climbed in. As he turned the key in the ignition, Phil leaned over to place a kiss on the tip of Dan’s nose, causing a rosy blush to spread across his cheeks.  
“Silly Daniel. You know you never win.”

* * *

In the car, Dan continually argued that skinny-dipping was preposterous but Phil countered that it would not be the end of him. Many miles and one color-splashed sunset passed, when eventually, Phil pulled the car over on the side of the road and parked.

Dan followed Phil silently along a narrow path through the roadside brush and trees. That stagnant, boggy smell of summer filled the air even before the lake was visible. Dan skeptically scanned the perimeter of the lake in search of lights of a house, or anything else that could be used as an excuse to avoid the inevitable. But there were none. He turned to see Phil drop his shirt to the grass before toeing off his shoes with a slight stumble. The nervous excitement radiated from within him.

Phil stood in front of Dan, everything but his boxers lay at his feet in a pile. “We’re here. You might as well try.” He punctuated the sentence with a strategic, persuasive kiss planted on Dan’s mouth. “We aren’t leaving until you get in. Even if I have to carry you into the water myself.”

“But what if—”

“What if the grass turns purple? Or dinosaurs come back to life? Or the sky crashes down on us and we never get another tomor--”

“Stop!” Dan interrupted “or I’ll have another existential crisis.”

After a pause, Phil’s hands drifted down to playfully tug at the hem of Dan’s shirt. “Try new things?” He glanced up at Dan with a small smirk and he knew he had won.

“Fine.” Reluctantly, Dan grasped the hem of his black shirt and tugged it over his head. His shoes and shorts followed. A bashful pink tinted his tanned cheeks as he removed his shorts and was left in just his boxers. He was nervous as hell standing nearly naked on the shore of a lake, about to go skinny-dipping. But he knew that no amount of pleading, reasoning, or even shameless flirting would be enough to change Phil’s mind. As his boxers landed on top of his pile of clothes, Dan took off running toward the water.

* * *

_Thud-ud, thud-ud, thud-ud_. Two sets of footfalls echoed through the cove as they rushed down the old wood dock. Laughter echoed the footfalls. With bent knees and toes at the edge of the dock, they launched into the steamy summer air together. Phil whooped and curled into a tight cannonball. Dan’s arms flailed he screamed like he was jumping into a snake pit. At the last second, he held a gulp of air and broke the surface with a splash. The cool water displaced, then returned around him, accept him into its secret world.

Dan held his breath until he couldn’t, enjoying the first bit of relief from the unrelenting heat. He pulled himself to the surface with long, strong strokes. The water flooded down his face as he surfaced and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Phil surfaced a few meters from him.

The silver moonlight created a still, black-and-white world of trees and water and cast long shadows across their faces. Phil swam toward Dan with strokes that sliced through the rippled surface and disappear within the black water.

“And?” Phil asked when he came to a stop, bobbing next to him.

Dan burst out in a whole-hearted laugh. “This is amazing!”

* * *

It was late, about two in the morning, and they had spread their beach towels out to look at the vast expanse of stars, usually hidden from them by the city lights. They both were exhausted from swimming but not quite ready to leave the magic of a night of skinny-dipping.

“I’m glad you tried swimming with me tonight.” Phil whispered while softly brushing a piece of Dan’s fringe into place across his forehead. His hand stilled against his cheek. “I always liked swimming here when I was younger.” 

For a moment Dan remained quiet, captivated by the way the moonlight shone in Phil’s blue eyes and reflected back a multitude of colors. “I’m glad too,” he replied as he reached up to entwine their fingers, still shriveled from the chilly water. For a few moments a familiar silence fell over them as they took in the stars. The sky was an endless expanse of stars that normally were hidden from them by the lights of the city. 

“A shooting star!” Phil shouted excitedly.

“Where?”

“I am not going to tell you.” He turned his head, a playful smile lighting his eyes despite the darkness. “You’d steal my wish.” At that, Phil closed his eyes tight, and with his lips moving in silence, wished on the falling star.

“What did you wish for?”

Phil finally opened his eyes, “I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.”

“But I think the rule is you can share your wish with one person of your choice.”

Phil poked him in the side. “Only in your world.” 

Dan turned on his side, curling up to rest his head on Phil’s chest. They continued whispering their late-night thoughts into the cooling night air until their speech slowed and their eyes became heavy with sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
